The first trailer for David O. Russell's Amsterdam shows off an all-star cast led by Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington. The A-list cast also includes Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Rami Malek, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, and Taylor Swift. Amsterdam has been cloaked in secrecy since it began shooting, but more and more details have been revealed as images, posters, and now a new trailer have debuted.
Russell is the Oscar-nominated director of films like The Fighter, Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. His last film was 2015's Joy starring Jennifer Lawrence, about business mogul Joy Mangano. The film was met with mixed reviews and poor box office, although did garner a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Lawrence. Russell has worked with Bale twice before, on American Hustle and The Fighter, the latter of which netted the actor his sole Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
The first trailer for Amsterdam (via 20th Century Studios) gives a more in-depth look at the film's plot, yet still manages to keep details under wraps, instead focusing on the massive cast, all looking exceptionally transformed from their usual roles. Described as an "original crime epic," Amsterdam focuses on "three close friends who find themselves at the center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history." The "shocking plot" has yet to be revealed, but it appears to involve the trio witnessing a murder and getting wrapped up in a conspiracy. Check out the trailer for Amsterdam below:
Click here to watch the trailer on YouTube
While the historical nature of the film has yet to be fully revealed, the trailer says that "a lot of this actually happened" and the description of the film from the studio calls it "a fascinating and richly intricate tale that brilliantly weaves historical fact with fiction for a timely, cinematic experience." There's a lot to be unpacked from that description, but it appears to have more than a few things going on in terms of story, similar to Russell's previous films, which frequently explore real-world events and people, but with his signature twists and turns. The cryptic nature of Amsterdam looks to be part of its marketing push, focusing more on talent and setting than story or historical accuracy.
Russell is one of the more eclectic filmmakers working today, so it's good to have him back behind the camera with a new project. Pushing the massive cast to the forefront of Amsterdam's marketing is a smart move, as Russell is renowned for pulling together great talent in all of his films, frequently transforming them physically and figuratively for their parts. While Amsterdam is still playing coy in terms of plot, there's more than enough to entice viewers out to theaters to check it out, especially with the stacked cast that Russell has assembled.
Source: 20th Century Studios
